Honestly this will sound like a lame excuse, but I've been to 3 sens game and they each took me about 2hrs each...one of them took me 2.5hrs once! I left at 5 and to there at 7:30, by the time I parked and got to my seat I had missed about 5 minutes of the first. My sisters went to a few more games after that and when they asked me if I wanted to go I said no. I come from Orleans and the traffic is just brutal, it's usually slow moving once you hit Blair and it's like that until you get to the CT centre.

Just brutal...I can't be the only one thinking like that, spending 2 hours to get to a game then an hour getting home is not fun, I think the traffic is affecting the sales this year.

Having said that, I think Melnyk will be willing to spend to the cap if he sees the sens have a real shot to contend for the cup.

Interesting. I'm in the middle of Prescott-Russell and it takes about the same amount of time to get to a game. Can't blame the Sens or Melynk on that one....blame the jackasses in Ottawa city council and Toronto. Road infrastructure sucks sucks sucks around here.

What's the average commute time for someone living in Hamilton/ Burlington, Richmond Hill, or Pickering to a Leafs game?

What's the average commute time from someone from Lachenaie/ Repentigny, or Sainte-Therese, to a Habs game?

The arena is always going to be a long drive for some fans, regardless of where it is. If the arena were in the East End, people from the West End/ Kanata/ Barrhaven would be complaining. If the arena were downtown, then EVERYONE would be complaining because our downtown core isn't designed to handle that much traffic, and anyone that lived outside the city center would face an "hour+" to get to and from games.

The arena is where it is. And if it were somewhere else, a different yet equally-sized group of people would be complaining about it.

The "arena debate" is possibly the most infuriating debate on these boards. Some people say "I'd go to more games if the arena were closer", but if the arena were closer to THEM, there would be an equal number of people who all of a sudden would be far away from the arena, and then THEY would say "I'd go to more games if the arena were closer".

"To come up with the kind of money they were talking about and being fiscally responsible and ensuring the ongoing success of the organization, we knew we needed to add a Bobby Ryan-type player," Melnyk explained. "And at the end, when I said blank cheque, that would have meant we would not have gotten the (Bobby Ryan-type player). Couldn’t afford it. Just couldn’t do it."

What's the average commute time for someone living in Hamilton/ Burlington, Richmond Hill, or Pickering to a Leafs game?

What's the average commute time from someone from Lachenaie/ Repentigny, or Sainte-Therese, to a Habs game?

The arena is always going to be a long drive for some fans, regardless of where it is. If the arena were in the East End, people from the West End/ Kanata/ Barrhaven would be complaining. If the arena were downtown, then EVERYONE would be complaining because our downtown core isn't designed to handle that much traffic, and anyone that lived outside the city center would face an "hour+" to get to and from games.

The arena is where it is. And if it were somewhere else, a different yet equally-sized group of people would be complaining about it.

The "arena debate" is possibly the most infuriating debate on these boards. Some people say "I'd go to more games if the arena were closer", but if the arena were closer to THEM, there would be an equal number of people who all of a sudden would be far away from the arena, and then THEY would say "I'd go to more games if the arena were closer".

Nah, the arena isn't in a bad spot.

The problem is a city and a region this size needs a better road system overall. Having the 174 east of Orleans being one freakin lane is a travesty. On a day with bad weather, one accident can easily close that road and force tens of thousands of people to take back country roads into Ottawa in the morning/evening.

Problem is, the provincial government in Toronto is loathe to spend money on Ottawa, and the little bit this region does get is thrown away by the idiots in city council.

"To come up with the kind of money they were talking about and being fiscally responsible and ensuring the ongoing success of the organization, we knew we needed to add a Bobby Ryan-type player," Melnyk explained. "And at the end, when I said blank cheque, that would have meant we would not have gotten the (Bobby Ryan-type player). Couldn’t afford it. Just couldn’t do it."

Which is like...the exact opposite of what Murray said.

Those two need to get their cover stories straight before spouting off to the media.

I don't know why people are saying we haven't sold out a game yet. A sellout is 19 153. So far 3 games have been sold out (montreal, Boston and Detroit games).

Because that isn't a true sellout. We can sell 20,500 tickets so if we don't sell 20,500 tickets we did not sell all the tickets we could have possibly sold. Therefore its not a true sellout.I don't care what tsns attendance says, 108% percent sold doesn't make sense. Its like saying you gave 110 percent which doesn't make sense.

Honestly this will sound like a lame excuse, but I've been to 3 sens game and they each took me about 2hrs each...one of them took me 2.5hrs once! I left at 5 and to there at 7:30, by the time I parked and got to my seat I had missed about 5 minutes of the first. My sisters went to a few more games after that and when they asked me if I wanted to go I said no. I come from Orleans and the traffic is just brutal, it's usually slow moving once you hit Blair and it's like that until you get to the CT centre.

Just brutal...I can't be the only one thinking like that, spending 2 hours to get to a game then an hour getting home is not fun, I think the traffic is affecting the sales this year.

Having said that, I think Melnyk will be willing to spend to the cap if he sees the sens have a real shot to contend for the cup.

Try talking the bus, it's cheaper then the gas you use to get there and paying for parking, it's surprisingly fast both in and out. I get home in 20 minutes on the Bus now i do live close but i mean highway is highway the bus now bypasses all the parking jam.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sensfan5

I don't know why people are saying we haven't sold out a game yet. A sellout is 19 153. So far 3 games have been sold out (montreal, Boston and Detroit games).

Not once have they announced it as a sell out. They always like to announce tonights attendance 20,500 a SELL OUT THANK YOU SENS ARMY. Detroit was the biggest game this year and i think it was 20,161

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbeck5

Because that isn't a true sellout. We can sell 20,500 tickets so if we don't sell 20,500 tickets we did not sell all the tickets we could have possibly sold. Therefore its not a true sellout.I don't care what tsns attendance says, 108% percent sold doesn't make sense. Its like saying you gave 110 percent which doesn't make sense.

Then if you want to go out after and have a few cocktails, or whatever your vice is, you have the market, Elgin, etc...all within walking distance, bus or a short cab ride.

The casino is nearby, there are a ton of hotels if you are from out of town.

There are plenty of reasons that a downtown arena would be better.

Traffic is definitely not one of them, granted.

Driving 30 minutes out of the city into the vacuous, soul sucking cookie cutter suburban nightmare that we call Kanata definitely does suck. Going to O'Connor's for a couple and then praying that you avoid the R.I.D.E. program also sucks.

There is no real public transit option for before & after the game activities in Kanata itself.

Look at Montreal or Toronto. Their arenas are right downtown, there are a million things you can do before and after the games.

While were on the arena location subject.Not to bring up lebreton. I know that was a no go. Being 24 years old, I remember very little about when the senators came back to Ottawa.

My question is why was it lebreton or bust for a downtown location?

I've seen pro team after pro team have no problem buying out a block or 3 of a downtown area to build a new stadium. Ottawa U seems to have no problem buying out chunks of land to expand. Why couldnt they buy out some of the older, cheaper blocks with old tiny buildings and build their stadium there?

Then if you want to go out after and have a few cocktails, or whatever your vice is, you have the market, Elgin, etc...all within walking distance, bus or a short cab ride.

The casino is nearby, there are a ton of hotels if you are from out of town.

There are plenty of reasons that a downtown arena would be better.

Traffic is definitely not one of them, granted.

Driving 30 minutes out of the city into the vacuous, soul sucking cookie cutter suburban nightmare that we call Kanata definitely does suck. Going to O'Connor's for a couple and then praying that you avoid the R.I.D.E. program also sucks.

There is no real public transit option for before & after the game activities in Kanata itself.

Look at Montreal or Toronto. Their arenas are right downtown, there are a million things you can do before and after the games.

Need saturday night games for that. Now that i think of it maybe that's the exact reason we have all these garbage matinee games.

What's the average commute time for someone living in Hamilton/ Burlington, Richmond Hill, or Pickering to a Leafs game?

What's the average commute time from someone from Lachenaie/ Repentigny, or Sainte-Therese, to a Habs game?

The arena is always going to be a long drive for some fans, regardless of where it is. If the arena were in the East End, people from the West End/ Kanata/ Barrhaven would be complaining. If the arena were downtown, then EVERYONE would be complaining because our downtown core isn't designed to handle that much traffic, and anyone that lived outside the city center would face an "hour+" to get to and from games.

The arena is where it is. And if it were somewhere else, a different yet equally-sized group of people would be complaining about it.

The "arena debate" is possibly the most infuriating debate on these boards. Some people say "I'd go to more games if the arena were closer", but if the arena were closer to THEM, there would be an equal number of people who all of a sudden would be far away from the arena, and then THEY would say "I'd go to more games if the arena were closer".

I've been to Orleans several times in the past number of months & the traffic to get in & out of there is brutal because of the construction. The construction all over Ottawa these days is probably the biggest reason for commuting problems in this city. And yes, there is construction in the west end as well to add to the traffic problems around the arena. Getting in & out of downtown during rush hour is no picnic either, I agree that an arena downtown would cause just as much grief, parking around the Blues Fest is a pain in the arse as well. We go to a restaurant with a bus service to the game, have something to eat/beer & don't worry about the traffic or parking, it works great., way better than driving there. BTW my record is still intact at 0 - 6, I have yet to see them win this yr.

On another note:
I too remember specifically Melnyk saying they would not have been able to afford Ryan if they would have signed Alfredsson to a big contract. But what we forget here is that they were giving Clarkson a tour of the city leading up to July 1 before Alfredsson took off. There was no mention then of not be able to sign both Clarkson & Alfredsson especially considering what Clarkson got from the Leafs & that Murray I think it was, said Ottawa was going to give him the same thing as the Leafs.

Thankfully we didn`t. So I`m not sure what was going on there with Ryan also considering how quickly they signed MacArthur the first day of free agency. Was that deal also already a done deal before July 1 & were they planning on signing Clarkson, MacArthur & Alfredsson then trading for Ryan or not making that deal? Hard to know what came first & exactly what happened & I'm sure stuff went on that we will never know. Interesting that they would even entertain Clarkson unless they don't think we have enough grit & toughness already in our lineup.

While were on the arena location subject.Not to bring up lebreton. I know that was a no go. Being 24 years old, I remember very little about when the senators came back to Ottawa.

My question is why was it lebreton or bust for a downtown location?

I've seen pro team after pro team have no problem buying out a block or 3 of a downtown area to build a new stadium. Ottawa U seems to have no problem buying out chunks of land to expand. Why couldnt they buy out some of the older, cheaper blocks with old tiny buildings and build their stadium there?

Transit, and traffic. It's not as simple as just buying the space, you have to build the infrastructure to support it.

I've been to Orleans several times in the past number of months & the traffic to get in & out of there is brutal because of the construction. The construction all over Ottawa these days is probably the biggest reason for commuting problems in this city. And yes, there is construction in the west end as well to add to the traffic problems around the arena. Getting in & out of downtown during rush hour is no picnic either, I agree that an arena downtown would cause just as much grief, parking around the Blues Fest is a pain in the arse as well. We go to a restaurant with a bus service to the game, have something to eat/beer & don't worry about the traffic or parking, it works great., way better than driving there. BTW my record is still intact at 0 - 6, I have yet to see them win this yr.

On another note:
I too remember specifically Melnyk saying they would not have been able to afford Ryan if they would have signed Alfredsson to a big contract. But what we forget here is that they were giving Clarkson a tour of the city leading up to July 1 before Alfredsson took off. There was no mention then of not be able to sign both Clarkson & Alfredsson especially considering what Clarkson got from the Leafs & that Murray I think it was, said Ottawa was going to give him the same thing as the Leafs.

Thankfully we didn`t. So I`m not sure what was going on there with Ryan also considering how quickly they signed MacArthur the first day of free agency. Was that deal also already a done deal before July 1 & were they planning on signing Clarkson, MacArthur & Alfredsson then trading for Ryan or not making that deal? Hard to know what came first & exactly what happened & I'm sure stuff went on that we will never know. Interesting that they would even entertain Clarkson unless they don't think we have enough grit & toughness already in our lineup.

What they were saying is that if they gave Alfie what he wanted, they couldn't have Ryan. If Alfie accepted their terms, they'd have enough to afford Ryan. Obviously this may only be a half truth on their part to put a positive spin on everything, and attempt to make Ottawa fans alright with the situation because it netted them a possible 40+ goal scorer.

I would assume had Clarkson signed, that they wouldn't have traded for Ryan. Clarkson would take his place as the big money player coming in. I think Ottawa wasn't enthused with the asking price for only two guaranteed years of Bobby Ryan, but their hand was forced, and they pulled the trigger mostly for PR and marketing purposes as a result of Alfredsson leaving, and them being unable to grab another big money free agent.

MacArthur's salary is only 3 million. I don't remember what they were said or rumored to have offered Alfredsson, but I would assume it would probably be in that range.

On the topic of Ottawa's window. It's most certainly now, or more specifically, next year. This doesn't mean they won't have a good team going past that, but in the 2015 off season, if this internal budget business is still around, they will have some extremely tough choices to make.

MacArthur, Ryan, Spezza, Zibanejad, Conacher, Methot and Lehner all come up during that period. Even if Spezza's deal stays the same, between the other four, assuming everybody stays the course and develops/plays as they currently are, you're looking at at least 10 million combined worth of raises, and that's on the extremely conservative side. Maybe Lehner's salary gets off set by Anderson leaving, and Michalek either taking a huge pay cut to stay, or leaving with his 6 million off the books might be able to even it out.

Without the internal budget they could probably keep this team together and under the cap for another 5 years. Between Karlsson, Turris, Smith, and maybe Cowen, they have some deals that might end up being absolute steals two years down the line, which helps a lot.

What's the average commute time for someone living in Hamilton/ Burlington, Richmond Hill, or Pickering to a Leafs game?

What's the average commute time from someone from Lachenaie/ Repentigny, or Sainte-Therese, to a Habs game?

The arena is always going to be a long drive for some fans, regardless of where it is. If the arena were in the East End, people from the West End/ Kanata/ Barrhaven would be complaining. If the arena were downtown, then EVERYONE would be complaining because our downtown core isn't designed to handle that much traffic, and anyone that lived outside the city center would face an "hour+" to get to and from games.

The arena is where it is. And if it were somewhere else, a different yet equally-sized group of people would be complaining about it.

The "arena debate" is possibly the most infuriating debate on these boards. Some people say "I'd go to more games if the arena were closer", but if the arena were closer to THEM, there would be an equal number of people who all of a sudden would be far away from the arena, and then THEY would say "I'd go to more games if the arena were closer".

Well, you could **** off and cheer for whatever team is tops each year...

I'm just teasing, but listen, it's not about accepting mediocrity, it's about accepting the ups and downs of sport. You have one of two choices, cheer for the team, or don't. If you don't want to accept that the team is in the middle of the pack for now, what is the point of staying a fan? Your complaining does nothing to change anything but the tone of the boards here, so why bother? Why not accept that this team IS mediocre right now and try and enjoy some of the simpler positives.

You do know that being upset at the hockey team is a choice right?

We were so good for sooooo many years while other teams toiled, and are STILL toiling. Sometimes you play above your head (last two years) and sometimes you play a little below (this year), and sometimes you're exactly where you should be on paper.

Management and players are trying to win, that's all that can be asked really.